Nominations for 'Guruvar Awards' close, Over 1 Lakh entries assert the nation's heartfelt gratitude towards Teachers
- The Award is first of its kind in the country; to celebrate the Indian School Teacherthrough an interactive campaign - The website www.guruvar.com was launched by Shri Kapil Sibal, Union Minister,HRD
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Nominations closed for 'Guruvar Awards' on 1st December, with 1,28,634 entries from across the country. Founded by Padamshree Sunny Varkey, and supported by icons like Shri Kapil Sibal, Shri Narayan Murthy and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the national movement was initiated to recognize and honor outstanding contribution of Teachers in the lives of their students.
Launched on the 5th of September, Teacher's Day, the interactive campaign had people across the nation nominating their favorite Teacher on the website www.guruvar.com. Owing to an overwhelming response the deadline for the applications was extended till the 1st of December, 2009. The cities which have shown a tremendous response to Guruvar Awards 2009 and have added to its spirit are Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Kannur, Trivandrum, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Hyderabad. Maharashtra topped participation with 41,329 entries, followed by Kerela with 26,102, Delhi with 20,701, Tamil Nadu with 18,764 and Karnataka with 13,135. At 62,664, the entries received for the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' category are the highest among the four categories.
Award Category No. of entries received
Lifetime Achievement Award 62,664
Outstanding Indian Teacher Award 42,325
Outstanding Indian Teacher ofChildren with Special Needs 15,728
Outstanding Young Indian Teacher Award 7,917
While maximum entries have come from students & ex-students between the age of 14 to 28 years with 56,045 entries, parents and colleagues between the age of 30 to 48 years have expressed their support and enthusiasm for the movement as well.
Commenting on the tremendous response Mr. Sunny Varkey, Founder of Guruvar Awards 2009 said, "It is apparent that the nation has woken up to this cause bringing in the much required recognition that teachers should be bestowed upon. We are happy that the movement has truly caught up pace not just as a drive to acknowledge the role of teachers but also as a social commitment to them. People have indeed used this opportunity to voice their heartfelt gratitude; the number of entries we have received is a testimony to this.
We believe that as each year passes, this national movement will gather momentum."
Proceeding towards the next stage of selecting amongst the entries received, Mr. Dino Varkey, Senior Director, Business Operations, Varkey Gems said, "Our Jury at the Zone level has been working since September to identify 48 finalists among the entries received. These will be then judged by the Grand Jury. Awardees will be chosen through an intensive selection process."
The event is designed and managed for the Varkey Gems Foundation by Indian Expressions Management Consultancy, a UAE based, IP Design & Strategy Company.
Notes to Editor
About Varkey Gems Foundation:
Created by Padmashree Sunny Varkey, the Varkey Gems Foundation is a philanthropic trust. Meant for the upliftment of education of children the foundation promotes superior quality of teaching and strives to strengthen the teacher-student interface. The Guruvar Award 2009 programme is the first of a series of recognition and reward programmes by the Foundation. The Foundation is connected to a number of education related charitable initiatives such as the R&D of innovative educational programmes and models to enhance both the teaching and learning experience, financial support for deserving students, education for slum children and promotion of rural schools.